I'm sure we all saw this coming several thousand miles away, but the upcoming live-action Mortal Kombat movie has officially received its R-rating (that's basically the equivalent of an 18 here in the UK).
This won't come as a surprise to anyone who has been following the development of the project. For one thing, the most recent trailer showed Sub-Zero grabbing Jax's arms and freezing them before they smashed apart in a bloody mess. For another, the movie's screenwriter Greg Russo, along with director Simon McQuoid and a good portion of the incredibly talented cast have been open and honest about their plans to make Mortal Kombat as thoroughly brutal as it needs to be. And it needs to be.
Mortal Kombat's rating was confirmed in the latest MPA release, which confirms the movie has received an R for "strong bloody violence and language throughout, and some crude references". As pointed out by Exhibitor Relations Co. on Twitter, Mortal Kombat will be the first of the three live-action adaptations of the video game series to receive an R-rating. The first two were PG-13, which might go some way towards explaining why they weren't very good.
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"Since it's already been stated by other members of the team, I'm gonna put this one to bed," Russo said over a year ago. "MK WILL be R-Rated and for the first time EVER, FATALITIES will FINALLY be on the big screen (and no I'm not gonna say which ones) You'll just have to wait for the movie & see!"
Cole Young actor Lewis Tan also told ComicBook last year that there were some days on set that he "felt sick", which is... promising? Maybe? "I'm not kidding," he said. They did not... They did not hold back."
Mortal Kombat will be headed to cinemas and HBO Max on April 16. As someone who doesn't get on brilliantly with gore, I'm a little scared - but I'll do my best to stomach it.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Bros.Topics: GAMING, News, Mortal Kombat, Warner Bros.
